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Corsica court sentences five over burkini brawl

A Corsica court sentenced five men to up to two years in prison Friday over their involvement in a mass beach brawl on the French Mediterranean island.

The incident in the town of Sisco reportedly began after tourists were taking pictures of Muslim women wearing the burkini, the full-body bathing suit that only leaves the face, hands and feet visible, AFP reported. Five people were injured in the subsequent brawl that had prompted the mayor of the village to ban the burkini last month, along with 30 other villages across southern France.

Some 100 police were deployed to quell the August 13 clashes between locals and families of North African origin from another part of the island.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the court in Bastia on Thursday to support two local men who faced charges over the incident alongside three brothers of Moroccan origin. Four were handed suspended sentences. A man of Moroccan origin was sentenced to two years in prison for armed violence.

Sisco is one of 30 French towns in which local authorities banned the burkini last month. The country’s top administrative court, however, suspended the move in most cases. But the Council of State allowed Sisco to keep its burkini ban, saying it was justified on public order grounds, even though prosecutors ruled out any connection between the beach brawl and the swimsuit.

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Johann F.

Immediately deport the families of the thugs of from North Africa and deport the North African prisoners when they complete their sentences. We have enough European criminals of our own, that we can’t inflict on other countries, so why keep foreign criminals or their families in Europe?

Posted on 9/16/16 | 12:00 PM CET

Balton

What about all the French that started this by photographing a woman on a beach. Deport them?

Posted on 9/20/16 | 1:00 AM CET

Guilherme

Balton,
Photographing in public spaces in Europe is normal. People are frequently taking photos seeing something uncommon, strange etc. Who wants to live in Europe should accept the European way of life.